Healthy Eating

I've been re-evaluating my children's health habits lately. Because, let's face it, if my kids are unhealthy it's my fault. I am their mother.

We've never been an "unhealthy" family. We don't eat out much. We don't drink much soda. Common snacks are string cheese, yogurt, fruit, etc. The boys like vegetables. But there was definitely room for improvement.

I admit, I'm not very good at "health food," diet type stuff. And I'm often intimidated by anything new or unusual. But I've gone out on a limb and tried a few new healthier foods.

The first thing I tried was Greek Yogurt. We are big yogurt lovers and so I thought I would give it a try. Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt and has zero fat. I was nervous the kids weren't going to like it as much as their usual highly flavored stuff. But I was wrong! They love it! Preston still like a go-gurt the best, but both boys will choose a Greek yogurt over the Yoplait in the fridge.

I love rice. The boys don't love it as much. I've recently tried making brown rice as a healthier alternative. But I'll be honest, I'm really bad at cooking brown rice. It takes forever, and NEVER turns out very good. (If anyone has any tips on cooking brown rice, I'd love to hear them.) This week, while at the store, I noticed a bag of Quinoa next to the rice. I bravely picked it up and put it in my cart. I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. Last week, as a side to our Stir Fry, I cooked up some Quinoa. The boys were skeptical. One bite was all it took. They were both hooked. In fact, I had to swat Preston's hand when he tried to grab a handful off my plate. It was easier to cook than brown rice too. Not as quick as Minute Rice, but it only took 20 min, mostly unattended.

Hummus was a different story. I've heard several people say they enjoy hummus, so when I saw some at the store I thought we'd give it a try. No dice. I only tolerated it, and the boys nearly spit it out. (If anyone wants a box of individual hummus packages, I'll gladly hand it over.)

So far the biggest hit has been the green smoothies I've been making for breakfast. I just throw a handful of fresh baby spinach in the blender with lots of fresh or frozen fruit and some milk. The whole family loves it! (I just have to be careful not to add two handfuls of spinach. There is such things as too much of a good thing.) It's a great way to get some extra fruits and veggies into the kids.

So far, so good.

What are you favorite health foods? What should I try next? Do you have any good tips or recipes?